Buffs Swept By NSU

CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M baseball team rallied in both games of a doubleheader against Northeastern State, but both attempts fell short as the Buffs commit ten total errors on their way to dropping both games against the RiverHawks Saturday afternoon.

WT hopes to split the series with the RiverHawks as game four is set for Sunday afternoon, with first pitch at 1 p.m.

Game 1 Recap (Northeastern State 15, West Texas A&M 12)

West Texas A&M plated seven runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, but couldn’t overcome five errors in the first of two games against Northeastern at Conner Park. WT starter Chris Gutierrez (0-5) took the loss for the Buffs who fell to 9-37 on the season and 6-31 in the Lone Star Conference.

The Buffs took an early 1-0 lead in the first as Darby Walker singled and stole second before scoring on a groundout from Brian Schupp later in the inning.

Northeastern answered in the six runs in the next three innings, highlighted by third baseman Joel Eusebio’s two-run home run to right center. The Buffs closed the gap in the bottom of the seventh with a Will McLaughlin two-run shot to right center, making the score 10-4.

The RiverHawks finished off the game for good with five runs in the top half of the ninth, but WT wouldn’t go down without a fight. Schupp started off the ninth with a leadoff homer to right field, his 16^th of the season. After a Walker single and two walks, Ben Edge stepped up to the plate and drove a fastball over the left center field wall for a grand slam to cut the Northeastern lead to 15-10. The Buffs added two more runs, but just came up short, dropping game one 15-12.

Game 2 Recap (Northeastern State 10, West Texas A&M 6)

The Northeastern offense scored early and often in game two of a doubleheader as the RiverHawks pounded out 13 hits in rout to a 10-6 victory in the nightcap of a doubleheader. WT starter Bart Cannon falls to 2-6 on the year, giving up 10 hits and eight runs in five innings of work.

The Buffs first runs came in the fifth on a Kent Wright single that scored Justin Graham. The Buffs weren’t done, scoring two more in the bottom half of the sixth, as Wright and Ben Edge added RBI singles before a final three-run rally in the seventh fell just short.

Junior designated hitter Kevin Els was the backbone of the WT offense in game two, going 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBI including a three run bomb to right field in the bottom of the seventh to cut the RiverHawk lead to 10-6.